Average power rating of opponents played: CAROLINA 19.5, WASHINGTON 20

SCHEDULE AND RESULTS

CAROLINA - Season Results

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Team Stats

Opp Stats

Date

Opponent

Score

SU

Line

ATS

Tot.

O/U

Rushing

Passing

TO

Rushing

Passing

TO

9/9/2018

DALLAS

16-8

W

-3

W

42

U

32-147

17-26-146

1

22-94

19-29-138

1

9/16/2018

@ ATLANTA

24-31

L

5

L

43.5

O

18-121

32-45-318

1

32-170

23-28-272

1

9/23/2018

CINCINNATI

31-21

W

-3

W

44

O

41-230

15-24-147

0

13-66

29-46-330

4

10/7/2018

NY GIANTS

33-31

W

-6.5

L

43.5

O

31-118

21-35-232

2

16-50

23-37-382

3

10/14/2018

@ WASHINGTON

10/21/2018

@ PHILADELPHIA

10/28/2018

BALTIMORE

11/4/2018

TAMPA BAY

11/8/2018

@ PITTSBURGH

WASHINGTON - Season Results

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Team Stats

Opp Stats

Date

Opponent

Score

SU

Line

ATS

Tot.

O/U

Rushing

Passing

TO

Rushing

Passing

TO

9/9/2018

@ ARIZONA

24-6

W

2

W

43.5

U

42-182

21-30-247

1

15-68

20-34-145

2

9/16/2018

INDIANAPOLIS

9-21

L

-6

L

48

U

22-65

33-46-269

1

28-104

21-31-177

2

9/23/2018

GREEN BAY

31-17

W

2

W

46.5

O

35-166

12-20-220

1

17-100

27-45-240

1

10/8/2018

@ NEW ORLEANS

19-43

L

5.5

L

51.5

O

18-39

23-39-244

2

32-98

26-29-349

1

10/14/2018

CAROLINA

10/21/2018

DALLAS

10/28/2018

@ NY GIANTS

11/4/2018

ATLANTA

11/11/2018

@ TAMPA BAY

KEY GAME INFORMATION

CAROLINA: Carolina kept QB Cam Newton fresh by running him less often in 2017, then let him loose late in the year. New coordinator Norv Turner has acknowledged that the Panthers are at their best when Newton uses his legs, despite the injury risk. RB C.J. Anderson will try to revive the power run game, while RB Christian McCaffrey is in for a larger role as both a runner and receiver. TE Greg Olsen's return from an injury-mired 2017 offsets a weak WR group. New coordinator Eric Washington, a Carolina assistant since 2011, won't be changing a thing about the Panthers' 4-3 scheme. LBs Luke Kuechly, Thomas Davis and Shaq Thompson are the most athletic and effective linebacking corps in the league, though Davis suspended until Week 6. The secondary is a weakness (partially by design because of their zone scheme), though defensive line helped out by accounting for 40 sacks last season.

WASHINGTON: Head coach Jay Gruden gets the most out of his offense, and it's unlikely that Washington would have acquired QB Alex Smith if Gruden didn't think he could run the team effectively. While rookie RB Derrius Guice is promising and TE Jordan Reed dominates on the rare occasions when he's healthy, Washington has one of the weakest skill-position units in the league'certainly a downgrade from what Smith had in Kansas City. Washington showed some improvement in coordinator Greg Manusky's first season, but parted with promising, young CBs Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland in the offseason. LBs Ryan Kerrigan and Zach Brown are solid, and there's hope for improvement up front with the addition of first-round draft pick DT Da'Ron Payne and the healthy return of 2017 first-rounder DE Jonathan Allen (who missed 11 games with a foot injury last season).

PREVIEW

Humbled Redskins look to get back on track vs. Panthers

The Washington Redskins are on top of the NFC East, and they have plenty of motivation entering Sunday's game against the visiting Carolina Panthers.

Never mind the fact that the Panthers (3-1) have won two straight and own a better record than the Redskins (2-2). Washington is seeking to erase the stench of a nationally televised mauling on Monday night -- a 43-19 drubbing by Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

"That was an absolute embarrassment," Redskins head coach Jay Gruden told reporters after watching his team fall into an early 20-point deficit coming off its bye week. "Our whole team played poorly. That's a reflection of myself.

"Everybody in that locker room, hopefully, will say that they have to play better. I absolutely understand that the coaches on this staff have to coach better. That is one way we can look at it. Looking forward, we have Carolina coming in. We are 2-2. There is a bright outlook. We are still right there and will continue to be."

Quarterback Alex Smith had a rough game Monday, his worst since joining Washington. He is missing wide receiver Josh Doctson (heel), Paul Richardson (shoulder) is playing through immense pain and Jamison Crowder (ankle) has dealt with various nagging injuries since training camp and would not have participated had Wednesday's walk-through been a real practice.

Acquired in a trade with Kansas City to replace Kirk Cousins, Smith failed to throw a touchdown pass for the second time in four games, but refused to point to the injuries as an excuse.

"Regardless of where you are at, I guess it doesn't totally matter," Smith said. "I mean we've got to get ready to play. Yeah, are there reps where maybe more time would have helped? Maybe, but at this point that doesn't do us any good. I think we've got to go."

The Redskins have been among the league's most inconsistent teams, with each of their games decided by double digits. They lost to one-win Indianapolis (21-9) at home and rolled to easy victories over Arizona (24-6) and Green Bay (31-17) before Monday night's debacle.

Up next are the Panthers, who are coming off an improbable victory when Graham Gano kicked a last-second 63-yard field goal to beat the New York Giants 33-31 last weekend.

Like the Redskins, Carolina had a bye in Week 4 and is in the midst of a three-game stretch against NFC East opponents, with a road game at reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia looming on Oct. 21.

The Panthers, who have won five straight games in the series, could have reinforcements in the lineup Sunday. Pro Bowl linebacker Thomas Davis is set to return from a four-game suspension while tight end Greg Olsen, sidelined with a broken bone in his foot, reported that he felt fine after a full workout in Wednesday's practice.

Former Carolina cornerback Josh Norman, who spent his first four seasons with the Panthers before signing with Washington as a free agent, was benched by Gruden in the second half of last week's loss after he was burned for a 62-yard touchdown pass. The Redskins also gave up a 64-yard scoring pass versus the Packers in Week 3.

"That's something that we have to get corrected," Gruden said. "That can't happen in pro football. You don't see that happen in pro football. We're together too long. We run the same coverage for too many times. We've got to coach that better. We've got to make sure that never happens again."

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, who last week surpassed former Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham for the most rushing yards by a QB with a single franchise (4,485), told reporters he knows what Norman brings to the table.

"Fearless. He's not a person who hesitates to take chances, and that's his gift and his curse," said Newton. "And from watching the little film that I did see Monday night, that's him. That doesn't negate him being a great player. I still go into each and every game pointing out who the impact players are on that defense, and he's definitely one of those players."

The Panthers feature the league's top-ranked ground game, averaging 154.0 yards. Second-year running back Christian McCaffrey is no one-trick pony with 329 rushing yards, but he is dangerous in space with 192 receiving yards and a touchdown on 32 targets.

"It's hard for a lot of people to label him," Newton said. "He's obviously not just a receiving back, he's a total running back. He shows signs that this is not a fluke."